Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Vasily Egorov
[REGNUM] The British political system is undergoing profound changes. This thesis is most confirmed by the current preferences of the population, which have changed the party landscape and the long-established system.
It's hard to believe that not long ago, in the 2017 election, Labour and the Conservatives together won more than 80% of all votes. Today, these once systemically important parties together claim only 35-40%.
There are many reasons for this decline. But first of all, they are rooted in the fact that real alternatives have emerged in every political field.
The right flank is now dominated by Nigel Farage and his Reform Party. The left flank is more complicated: too many forces are laying claim to a similar electorate. And yet, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has decided to create a new party.
In different countries there is a phenomenon of socialists who continue to fight "for everything good", and a core of supporters is formed around them. In the US it is Bernie Sanders, in France it is Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and in Great Britain it is Corbyn.
He has been a lifelong Labourite, and has always been on the left of the party. The left had gone through the difficult times of Tony Blair's premiership, when it was relegated to the farthest reaches of parliament. Its golden age came in 2015, when Corbyn became Labour leader after an internal primary.
But the happiness did not last long. From the very beginning, the party apparatus worked against him, perceiving the old leftist as the main threat. Many feared that the party would face huge purges, but in the end, Corbyn's moderate faction outplayed him. The veteran of British politics resigned after the disastrous 2019 elections.
Then came more difficult years for him: the current Prime Minister Keir Starmer expelled him from the party. Moreover, in the 2024 elections, Labour nominated another candidate in his home London constituency.
However, Corbyn's rating there is much higher than in the country as a whole: the politician was defeated, and in the renewed parliament he began to form an alliance, which in many ways led to the creation of a new party.
These are independent Muslim candidates who have won seats in constituencies that have been held by Labour for decades. They have banded together to form a group of independent MPs with predictable demands.
The new faces of British politics came out in support of Palestine, and also against any cuts to the "social" budget items. Later, Zara Sultana, who was elected from the Labour Party and had long been in conflict with the party's leadership, joined this party . If we continue the comparisons, we can find her similar to the overseas Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
Finally, in July, the party was officially announced. More than half a million people signed up for the new project's newsletter in two weeks.
The party focuses primarily on left-wing youth, who are sharply opposed to the current policies of the Labour Party.
Too many people think that Starmer is a Blair clone, but without the charisma.
Nahhhh. He’s closer to a smooth Corbyn clone, it seems to me, getting to the same place for political expediency instead of driven there by hate.
In addition, many on the left are unhappy with the attempts of the prime minister and his team to bite off part of the electorate from the Reform Party and tighten the immigration laws. We should not discount the Muslim street either – this disciplined electorate used to traditionally vote for Labour, but is now ready to join the new force.
According to the latest polls, Corbyn's party could well claim 10-15% of the vote. And the traditional electoral system of Great Britain will help it in this. The party will focus on the electorate, which is concentrated in university cities, as well as cities where a large number of ethnic minorities live.
However, the new political force will have to solve a considerable number of problems. First of all, the issues of competition with the Greens, who are also trying to squeeze the Laborites from the left flank. It is quite possible that a forced tactical alliance of the two parties will be formed.
Within such a motley coalition, there are also contradictions: the Muslim electorate and progressive British youth differ too much in their attitudes towards social issues. In this regard, the content of their future program on topics such as abortion, school education and the like is of great interest.
The one person you definitely don't envy in this story is Keir Starmer. As soon as he tries to take over the Reform Party's agenda, the left flank will start to sag. And vice versa.
Moreover, the emergence of a left-wing party is forcing the prime minister to take steps that were impossible just a few months ago. Among them is the promise to recognize Palestine as an independent state by the end of August. And there’s more to come! Now Starmer’s main task is to retain at least some of the electorate for the big local elections next year.
🚨BREAKING: Thousands of British citizens have taken control of Norwich streets outside a hotel housing illegal migrants, blocking the entire road in a massive show of force.
[FoxNews] President Donald Trump has secretly authorized military force against Latin American drug cartels designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations, according to reports.
The move, reported by the New York Times, would give U.S. forces permission to engage the cartels, which traffic drugs like fentanyl across the US-Mexico border,
"The president is determined to not just dismantle – but completely destroy – [Venezuelan dictator Nicolas] Maduro’s Cartel de Los Soles and obliterate their operations in the Western Hemisphere," a source close to the White House said, the New York Post reported.
The anti-cartel effort is being coordinated among several departments, including the Department of Defense, Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Treasury, the source added.
"President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations," deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said the U.S. military would not be entering Mexican territory following reports that Washington could take action to combat the cartels.
"It has nothing to do with Mexican territory," she said. "It has to do with their country. It does not involve our territory."
Trump has previously discussed using military force against drug cartels in an effort to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants across the southern border. He has also sanctioned high-ranking members of Cartel del Noreste, one of the most violent drug-trafficking organizations in Mexico and a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.
Most recently, he has used the threat of tariffs to force Mexico and Canada to actively participate in anti-smuggling efforts.
In relation to Latin American cartels, the administration has also singled out Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is wanted by the U.S. On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
[IsraelTimes] With several citizens held in Gaza, Germany has adopted a forceful role in the fight for hostages, seeing itself as responsible for their safe return from captivity
On October 7, 2023, teen boys Yagil and Or Yaakov were kidnapped from their home in Nir Oz, along with their father, Yair. In the chaos that followed, their uncle, Ziv Gome, launched a desperate effort that the family thought might help save them: securing German citizenship for the boys.
"[My sister] asked me to look into it," Gome said of the boys’ mother. "I had inner opposition to the idea of European citizenship, but as soon as she asked, I did it."
The family’s claim to citizenship was based on a formerly German great-grandmother who had survived a Nazi concentration camp — and who, under German law, was eligible to have her citizenship restored and passed down to her descendants.
The family had no idea if doing so would prove consequential, but they were grasping for whatever tools they had available.
"Nobody tells you what to do — you’re just trying to do everything you can," Gome said.
Under normal circumstances, obtaining German citizenship is a lengthy and bureaucratic process that typically takes around two and a half years. But within just two weeks, Yagil and Or, 12 and 16 at the time, were granted citizenship.
When the boys were released during the temporary ceasefire in late November 2023, "they had German passports waiting for them," their uncle said.
"The humanity of the German embassy...it wasn’t expected," he said with emotion.
The Yaakov boys were among an unknown number of hostages and their relatives who were quietly granted German citizenship in the weeks after the attack — part of a little-publicized but intensive effort by Berlin to assist Israelis with proven citizenship claims.
Coordinated largely through the German Embassy in Tel Aviv, the process took place almost entirely under the radar, with no public announcements or political fanfare. For those involved, it was one of the few tangible lifelines amid the uncertainty and grief.
Within hours after Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... launched its deadly October 7 onslaught, the German embassy in Tel Aviv says it began receiving desperate calls from Israelis and Germans who believed their loved ones had been taken into Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... More than two dozen of the 251 hostages taken into Gaza that day were either German citizens or members of families with German roots eligible for citizenship, according to the embassy.
"Nobody became a German as a favor or out of pity," Germany’s Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert told the Times of Israel in his office in Tel Aviv. "There are requirements that cannot be waived."
But when the legal conditions were met, German authorities moved very quickly by all accounts.
Dalja Gimpel, a German-Israeli immigration lawyer based in Tel Aviv who worked with a family of hostages to help them obtain German citizenship, emphasized how exceptional the process was.
"The German authorities dealt with it immediately. They really knew what was at stake," she said. "They were added to the [German] Foreign Ministry’s crisis unit list and treated as Germans."
A number of those who received citizenship were eligible thanks to a recent legal reform that significantly expanded eligibility.
Until 2021, German citizenship for descendants of Holocaust victims had only been available to those whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents had been stripped of their citizenship under the Nazi regime.
But that year, Germany widened the pool to include descendants of some Jewish victims of Nazi persecution who had never had citizenship, such as Polish Jews who lived in Germany before 1933 and were forced out because of their Jewish identity.
"So many people in Israel are descendants of Holocaust survivors or victims who were born in what used to be the German Reich," said the ambassador. He pointed out that the high number of German citizens or descendants among the hostages was, in part, a matter of geography.
"The kibbutzim in the Gaza border area were largely Ashkenazi — very ’Yekke,’" he said, using a slang term used to refer to German-speaking Jews. "That’s why so many of the hostages had German roots. If this had happened in Dimona, we would have seen a lot of hostages with North African ancestry instead."
[IsraelTimes] US-brokered deal seeks to boost bilateral economic ties after decades of conflict.
More at the link.
[X]
In less than seven months in office, President Trump has now brokered peace between:
🇹🇭🇰🇭 Thailand and Cambodia 🇮🇱🇮🇷 Israel and Iran 🇷🇼🇨🇩 Rwanda and the DRC 🇮🇳🇵🇰 India and Pakistan 🇷🇸🇽🇰 Serbia and Kosovo 🇪🇬🇪🇹 Egypt and Ethiopia 🇦🇲🇦🇿 Armenia and Azerbaijan
[YouTube] They must mean the Hamas that unfortunately, despite all efforts, still reside within the borders of the state of Israel.
The Gaza statelet is next door to the West, and there are a number of communities to the east in the West Bank that would end up ruled by Hamas were the PA to actually hold years-overdue elections, but not within Israel’s borders as such.
But what else do you expect from the nation that gave us the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nederland".
[NPR] Germany will stop exporting military equipment to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, the German government's leader said, in a swift response to Israel's decision to expand its operations in the Palestinian territory's main city.
"The even tougher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, which was decided last night by the Israeli Security Cabinet, makes it increasingly difficult for the [German] Federal Government to see how these goals can be achieved," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement Friday. "Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice."
Germany supplied a third of Israel's arms imports between 2020 and 2024, second only to weapons sales from the United States, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Merz's announcement follows mounting public pressure in Germany to reevaluate weapons sales, as the United Nations and Palestinian health authorities report growing civilian causalities and limited access to aid in Gaza.
Merz called on Israel's government to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza. "The German government remains deeply concerned about the ongoing suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip," the statement said. "With the planned offensive, the Israeli government bears even greater responsibility than before for providing aid."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the chancellor's decision. "Instead of supporting Israel's just war against Hamas, which carried out the most horrific attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel," the prime minister's office said in a statement.
Germany is forever saying the following, and under some governments it is true. Not this one, though.
Germany is one of Israel's closest allies and staunchest defenders inside Europe, which has usually not taken as strong a line against Israeli policies as some of the other European Union countries. Merz often refers to Germany's diplomatic support for Israel as its Staatsräson, or "reason of state," a historic responsibility to the existence of Israel because of Germany's role in the Holocaust. This vow makes Friday's quick response to the Israeli decision an even bigger step for Germany.
Israel’s second-largest arms supplier to stop sales until further notice, chancellor says; Vance: US has ‘some disagreement’ about Israel’s war strategy, but aligned on objectives; Netanyahu: ‘We are not going to occupy Gaza; we are going to free Gaza from Hamas’
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Vadim Kushakov
Why “Turkish”? The organizations listed below are/were linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS.
[REGNUM] The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims (SDM) of Russia and the first deputy chairman of this structure Damir Mukhetdinov were fined by a court decision - 50,000 and 5,000 rubles, respectively. The reason was extremist statements contained in the Encyclopedic Dictionary "Islam in the North Caucasus".
The book was published in 2023 by the Medina publishing house, which is associated with the DUM. The editor -in-chief of the publishing house is Damir Mukhetdinov. The book "Islam in the North Caucasus" is already the 10th volume in the series "Islam in the Russian Federation".
According to the Moscow Justices of the Peace portal, the case in which Damir Vaisovich Mukhetdinov is indicated as the person involved was registered on July 15 of this year. On August 7, a ruling was issued to impose an administrative penalty.
At the same time, a court case was initiated and completed, in which the religious organization “Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation” was listed as the party involved.
In both cases, the cases were heard under Part 2 of Article 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses - "Abuse of Freedom of the Mass Media." This concerns punishment for public dissemination of information about extremist and terrorist organizations - without indicating that the organization has been liquidated or its activities are prohibited in Russia.
“POLITICIAN” BASAYEV AND “PARTISAN” KHATTAB
Open sources provide scans from the encyclopedia, which was sanctioned by the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims and was published under the editorship of Mukhetdinov.
For example, in the story about the “largest ideologist of the movement” of Dagestani Wahhabis, Bagaudin Magomedov, it is stated that in 1997, “escaping persecution,” he took refuge “in the territory of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.” This criminal-terrorist formation is mentioned as if it were a legitimate “republic.” It is also not mentioned that the “Ichkerian” structures are included in the list of extremist and terrorist organizations.
The head of the Dagestani Wahhabis, Bagaudin Magomedov, is essentially being whitewashed - after the report that he issued a fatwa on the permissibility of kidnapping people, a disclaimer is immediately made: “There is no reliable information confirming this report.”
The organizer of the terrorist attacks, Shamil Basayev, who sheltered Magomedov, is called a "Chechen political figure." The same applies to another, also liquidated leader of the gangs, the "ex-president of Ichkeria" Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev. The "Ichkerian Goebbels" Movladi Udugov, who is hiding in exile, is also called a political figure. The fact that he is included in the list of terrorists is also not mentioned in the DUM publication.
The terrorist and mercenary Khattab, the commander of the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade, which is recognized as a terrorist organization, including in the United States, is simply called the "squad commander." The mention of separatist militants is in quotation marks. Apparently, in the authors' opinion, they should not be considered militants?
The terrorist actions of the Islamists under the leadership of Khattab (who, as the court established, is responsible for the explosions in Buinaksk, Moscow and Volgodonsk) are called “a guerrilla war with federal troops.”
The authors of the encyclopedia were selective in their labeling of organizations banned in Russia. ISIS is named as such. But it is not mentioned that the "Caucasus Emirate" is on the list of banned terrorist organizations. Although the Supreme Court of Russia made a decision on the "Emirate" back in February 2010, 13 years before the encyclopedia was published.
The Wahhabi movement is said to have been “subjected to serious repression” after 1997, and this radical Islamist community was “hit with repression.” And finally, the fight against terrorism in the North Caucasus in 1999–2002 was called — pay attention — “the second Russian-Chechen war.”
DO RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS APPROVE?
This raises questions: why was a publication with such wording received a calm and even friendly reception in the Russian academic community?
"It should be emphasized that the authors of the dictionary entries for the new edition are researchers from the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography and the Gamzat Tsadasa Institute of Language, Literature and Art within the structure of the DFRC RAS, as well as representatives of the Dagestan State University," the material on the DUM website, dedicated to the presentation of the encyclopedia in Makhachkala in June 2023, emphasizes. DFRC RAS is the Dagestan Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
But the first presentation with the presence of Damir Mukhetdinov took place in Moscow, at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The website of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims notes that Vladimir Bobrovnikov, head of the Center for the Study of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Ural-Volga Region, and leading researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies, spoke on behalf of the authors of the dictionary “Islam in the North Caucasus.” “According to him, “Islam in the North Caucasus” is distinguished by the breadth of the authors involved, a number of unique materials on the history and modernity of the development of Islam in the region,” the official resource of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims wrote.
"MORE THAN 40 RECRUITERS DETAINED"
It is strange that questions did not arise for a long time about the DUM itself, notes religious scholar Roman Silantyev, head of the laboratory of destructology at the Moscow State Linguistic University. “In August of last year, three of their imams were arrested as ISIS recruiters - two in the Tyumen region and one in Ulyanovsk,” Silantyev recalled in a comment to the Regnum news agency.
Indeed, in June 2024, it became known that security forces detained the imam of the Mubarak mosque in Ulyanovsk, Mars Abbazov. And in August of last year, it was reported that the imam of the mosque in the city of Kazarovo in the Tyumen region, Arslan Abdullah, and Alisher Dedamirzaev, the imam of the Tyumen Cathedral Mosque named after Umar ibn al-Khattab, were detained.
“This is just for the last year; in total, there are more than 40 such recruiters detained,” notes Silantyev.
The interlocutor believes that the prosecutor's office, which initiated the inspection of the dictionary "Islam in the North Caucasus", could have been "offended" by the behavior of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in December 2023. The Council of Ulema - lawyers of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims issued a fatwa (explanation) that a believer is allowed to have up to four wives.
Chief Mufti, Chairman of the Muslim Spiritual Board Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin stated that the main goal of the fatwa is to protect women and children in a polygamous religious marriage. Article 14 of the Family Code of Russia directly prohibits polygamy.
"The DUM received as many as four warnings from the prosecutor's office before the department withdrew this fatwa. Moreover, it withdrew it, but did not respond to the prosecutor's office, as required by law," Silantyev notes. He believes that such an attitude to Russian legislation and the demands of the supervisory authorities could not have passed without consequences for Sheikh Gainutdin's structure.
Silantyev believes that the supervisory authorities could also be interested in other books published by the DUM - “ perhaps this is not the only case, their literature is of very poor quality.”
The DUM has long attracted the attention of both the general public and law enforcement agencies with the constant scandals it creates, Silantyev emphasizes. For example, let us recall that only after the publications in the press did Damir Mukhetdinov remove from his office a painting of the Horde military leaders trampling Russian soldiers after the Battle of Kalka. This was all the more strange because Islam does not welcome portraiture, not to mention paintings glorifying pagans (the Mongol-Tatars who came to Russia professed polytheism).
"And these scandals destroy the interreligious world, because they claim that their leader Mufti Gainutdin is the leader of all Russian Muslims. Some believe this and associate them with Russian Islam, which is not true. Only a small part of Muslims are guided by them," the interlocutor believes.
According to Silantyev, the problem with the DUM is that this structure “generally reflects the Turkish view” of Russian Islam. “Essentially, it is a Turkish organization, and it publishes literature with pro-Turkish views, naturally,” the interlocutor emphasizes. Such views were reflected in the encyclopedia compiled by the DUM, where law enforcement officers found, in essence, “a relay of terrorist propaganda,” Silantyev believes.
[FoxNews] The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said on Friday it slashed funds to multiple cities to be consistent with the "current threat landscape." Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Jersey City also had their security funds cut, but the decrease in D.C. was the largest for any urban area that received funding from the program last fiscal year.
DHS has "observed a shift from large-scale, coordinated attacks like 9/11 to simpler, small-scale assaults, heightening the vulnerability of soft targets and crowded spaces in urban areas."
[IsraelTimes] Elias Rodriguez eligible for death penalty over May killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside AJC event in Washington
US prosecutors have brought federal hate crime charges against the man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, DC, in May.
The nine-count indictment returned against Elias Rodriguez,
…the stereotypical Red Diaper Baby English major
which makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted, says that he targeted the victims for being Israeli. He is accused of carrying out a hate crime resulting in death motivated by the "actual and perceived national origin of any person."
Rodriguez is accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26,
…he was born an Israeli Messianic Jew who attended the Episcopalian church every Sunday, she was born an American Jew who followed him into Christianity, their wedding was to have been in the near future. Their calling was bringing Jews and Palestinians together in Israel, but they were murdered as Jews in the name of Hamas while at an ecumenical meeting between young professionals who were interested in humanitarian solutions to the Middle East conflictf
on May 21 as they were leaving an American Jewish Committee event for young professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum. The couple was about to get engaged to be married.
The hate crimes charges against Rodriguez mean that prosecutors will now be tasked with proving he was motivated by antisemitism.
"We welcome these charges as an important step toward justice for the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim and the greater Jewish community," the Anti-Defamation League said following the indictment. "May their memories always be for a blessing."
The shooting was widely condemned as an antisemitic act, and was one of a string of attacks on Jews in the US earlier this year. In April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence was Molotov cocktailed. In June, a Molotov cocktailing at a Boulder, Colorado, gathering in support of Israeli hostages held by terror groups in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... killed one person.
Rodriguez was previously charged with first-degree murder and murder of a foreign official, and the hate crimes charges were added after prosecutors brought the case to a federal grand jury. The indictment comes ahead of a scheduled court appearance in Rodriguez’s case on Friday.
The indictment alleges that Rodriguez had a history of violent mostly peaceful rhetoric online against Israelis, including a plea to "vaporize every Israeli 18 and above."
Before the shooting, he scheduled a social media post to publish later that night with a document arguing that perpetrators and abettors of Israel’s military actions in Gaza had "forfeited their humanity," according to the indictment.
Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown ...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel... ahead of the AJC event with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, authorities have said in court papers.
Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video footage showed Rodriguez firing about 20 rounds at Lischinsky and Milgrim, then leaning over them to fire several more rounds after they fell to the ground and after Milgrim tried to crawl away and sat up, according to an FBI affidavit in the criminal complaint. The gunman paused to reload, then resumed firing, it said.
He then tossed away his gun, retreated into the museum and was arrested there after calling attention to himself as the suspect and pulling out a red Paleostinian-style keffiyeh scarf, the affidavit said.
He was heard shouting "Free Paleostine" as he was led away after his arrest. Federal authorities said he told police, "I did it for Paleostine, I did it for Gaza.״
[Ynet] "I came in here today because I wanted to see with my own eyes what is happening on the ground," said ILTV Executive Editor Maayan Hoffman. "I am in Gaza, on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. And what we have here are thousands and thousands of tons of humanitarian aid that is earmarked—that is slated—for the people of Gaza, but it is sitting here in the boiling sun."
She said that Israel has enabled all of this aid to enter the Gaza Strip in order to help the people of Gaza. But once it enters the Kerem Shalom crossing, or any of the others, the responsibility for the aid turns over to the international community—namely, the United Nations and the organizations under its auspices.
"But still, you can see, the aid is sitting here in the blistering, burning hot sun, getting ruined instead of getting to the people of Gaza," she said. In short, a manufactured crisis. And this time, not by Hams but by UN.
Posted by: Grom the Affective ||
08/09/2025 11:52 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that further escalation in the Gaza Strip will lead to additional displacement, killings and mass destruction. His position was voiced by Guterres' deputy representative Stephanie Tremblay at a briefing for journalists on August 8. No doubt he feels much better for having released that opinion.
"The Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure a humanitarian catastrophe of horrific proportions. The Secretary-General warns that this further escalation will lead to additional displacement, killing and widespread destruction, adding to the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza," Tremblay said.
She noted that the UN Secretary-General reiterates his call for a permanent ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Tremblay said Guterres expressed deep concern about the Israeli government's decision to take control of Gaza, which could put even more lives at risk.
“This decision marks a dangerous escalation, risks worsening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could put even more lives at risk, including the remaining hostages,” Tremblay added.
Guterres called on the Israeli government to comply with its international obligations, including the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory and end its illegal presence as soon as possible.
A sustainable solution to the conflict is impossible without ending the occupation and achieving a two-state solution, with Gaza remaining part of a Palestinian state, Guterres said.
#2
further escalation in the Gaza Strip will lead to additional displacement, killings and mass destruction
In the short term, that is certainly true. I think they call it 'war'. But what happens in the long run? A bit of displacement, killing and destruction now might be an investment for peace in the future. (see WWII) In the real world, choices are seldom between good and bad, but more often between worse and worser.
Q: Will France demonstrate their recognition of the Paleos by declaring war on Israel?
Now that the nuclear arsenal being “created” by Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, it is very important to me that all Middle Eastern Countries join the Abraham Accords. This will insure PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
(TS: 07 Aug 07:31 ET)…
— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 7, 2025
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/09/2025 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Iran's leaders have vowed to rebuild their nuclear infrastructure and put a fatwa on Trump's head.
Trump has promised that Iran's nuclear program would be "obliterated" again if they were to restart it.
#2
Hudnas can go both ways. Israel needs to rearm before finishing the job. They are manufacturing a lot more of their own, apparently, but both they and America need to accelerate that — especially given that Germany has made explicit that they will continue not selling Israel what they had in the past.
[IsraelTimes] PM says plan is to capture entire Strip, remove Hamas, hand it to non-PA ‘Arab forces’; adds Israel and US agree on principles for post-Hamas Gaza, including non-Israeli civil control
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, ahead of a key cabinet meeting on the next stage of the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... war, that Israel intends to take control of the entire Strip, then hand it over to an unspecified Arab governing force.
The premier said a "detailed plan" will be developed for this post-Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... government, and that it will not place Israel in control of the Strip as a civil government, nor allow the Paleostinian Authority to play a role.
Asked in a Fox News interview if Israel will take over the entire 26-mile strip, Netanyahu said: "We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza (sic), and to pass it civilian governance." But, he stressed, "We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter, but we don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body."
The prime minister said that Israel wants to "hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly, without threatening us, and giving the Gazooks a good life."
Netanyahu also told a group of visiting Indian journalists, according to the English-language CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... -News18, that, "Our plan is not to occupy or annex Gaza. Our goal is to destroy Hamas and get our hostages back, and then hand over Gaza to a transitory government."
"We will never hand [Gaza] over to the Paleostinian Authority or Hamas. We will provide overall security. There will be a security perimeter provided by us," the premier added.
"We want to end the war very soon. It will be over speedily. If Hamas concedes and lays down their arms and frees hostages, it will be over tomorrow. Even Paleostinians in Gaza are fighting Hamas," the prime minister said.
Netanyahu’s comments were met with wholesale rejection from the Hamas terror group and led Jordan to stress that it would only accept any decisions on the future of Gaza agreed to by the Paleostinians.
While Arab states have expressed willingness to assist in the post-war reconstruction of Gaza, they have long conditioned their involvement on the inclusion of the PA, viewing Ramallah’s role as critical to establishing a diplomatic horizon for a two-state solution, by having the same governing body in charge of both the West Bank and Gaza.
But Netanyahu’s rejection of a role for the PA has stopped any Arab country from expressing interest in playing the post-war role in Gaza that the Israeli premier is seeking.
In addition to rejecting a role for the PA, Netanyahu has refused for much of the war to advance a viable alternative to Hamas, which his critics say has allowed the war to drag out endlessly as the terror group has managed to remain the most dominant Paleostinian force in Gaza.
For his part, Netanyahu has argued that no alternative to Hamas will be able to survive in Gaza before the terror group has been defeated.
The prime minister’s remarks came shortly before the security cabinet convened Thursday evening to discuss a controversial plan to take over and occupy the entire Gaza Strip.
Israel currently controls about 75% of the enclave, but has stayed out of areas where the Hamas terror group is believed to be holding hostages, and has refrained from asserting any civilian governance over the Strip’s population, who have been ordered to evacuate from all of the areas where ground troops are operating.
Speaking to Fox News’s Bill Hemmer immediately before the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said: "We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas."
Netanyahu denied any intent to cause civilian suffering, noting Israel’s efforts to get humanitarian aid into the Strip.
He also explained to Fox that "the reason you see the flattened buildings [in Gaza] is because Hamas booby traps every single building," and that when the terror group’s underground tunnels are detonated, they take down buildings above them, emphasizing that all such buildings are empty, following broad evacuation orders.
PM: US, ISRAEL AGREE ON ’CERTAIN PRINCIPLES’ FOR ’DAY AFTER’
When Hemmer asked if US President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... had given Jerusalem a green light to take control of the whole Strip, Netanyahu declined to give a clear yes, responding: "He just says, ’I know Israel will do what it has to do.'"
"We haven’t got into that kind of discussion," Netanyahu continued, but he said the US and Israel had discussed a humanitarian surge leading up to a major operation, and certain principles, but not a detailed plan, for a post-Hamas Gaza.
Regarding the humanitarian surge, Netanyahu told Fox, "I want the population to be in safe zones, to have food, water, sewage, electricity, medical help."
With respect to the day after, he said Jerusalem and Washington agree it "has to have certain principles," but added, "I’m not talking about a detailed plan yet, because I think that will be developed."
Netanyahu listed five principles: Hamas’s disarmament; Gaza’s demilitarization; the release of all the hostages; Israeli security responsibility; and a non-Israeli civilian governing authority "that basically is willing to live in peace with Israel and give Gazooks a different future."
Hamas, in a statement, called Netanyahu’s comments "a blatant coup" against the negotiation process.
"Netanyahu’s plans to expand the aggression confirm beyond any doubt that he seeks to get rid of his captives and sacrifice them," the statement said.
The terror group added that it would view any governing force formed in line with Netanyahu’s proposal as an "occupying force linked to Israel."
A Jordanian official told Rooters on Thursday, following Netanyahu’s comments, that Amman "will only support what Paleostinians agree and decide on."
"Security in Gaza must be done through legitimate Paleostinian institutions," the source said. "Arabs will not be agreeing to Netanyahu’s policies nor clean his mess."
[IsraelTimes] British broadcaster cites Gaza sources as saying terror group stashed away $700 million before Oct. 7, wages surreptitiously handed out at ‘tea’ meetings
Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... is using secretive methods to pay salaries to its tens of thousands of members, the BBC reported Wednesday, in a report that also supported Israel’s contention that the terror group has systematically commandeered humanitarian aid entering the Strip and is handing it out to loyalists while other Gazooks go hungry.
The British broadcaster said it spoke to three Hamas employees who each reported they received some NIS 1,000 ($300) within the last week. At the same time, the report noted that those on the payroll are getting a fraction of their prewar salaries— at most 20% of the previous sum every 10 weeks.
According to the report, throughout the war, Hamas has continued paying wages to some 30,000 people described as "civil servants."
A senior Hamas official was quoted as saying the terror group stockpiled some $700 million in cash in underground tunnels before launching its October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel.
Noting that Israel has targeted Hamas salary distributors in order to disrupt payments, the report said operatives receive encrypted messages on their phones, inviting them for "tea" at a certain time and place. At the meeting, a contact walks by and discreetly hands them an envelope with cash before walking away.
The method entails dangers, the report said, with Israel sometimes identifying distribution points and hitting them with strikes. One source said he narrowly survived one such bombing.
The BBC also reported that Hamas has been taxing traders and selling cigarette packs for up to 100 times their prewar price to generate revenue.
It cited unnamed Gazook sources as confirming Israel’s longtime claim that significant portions of the humanitarian aid entering Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... were diverted by the terror group and sold on the black market for inflated prices or handed to loyalists.
Both the terror group and the UN have in the past denied that systematic looting is taking place.
However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... the UN recently admitted that 88 percent of the aid trucks it has collected over the past few months to deliver supplies to Gaza did not reach their destination due to looting.
According to the BBC report, "significant quantities" of aid were grabbed by Hamas during a two-month between January and March, during which Israel boosted aid deliveries as part of a deal that saw dozens of hostages returned.
In April, the Wall Street Journal also reported on the importance of humanitarian aid supplies to Hamas in its efforts to raise cash to pay fighters.
The BBC report said the diversion of supplies has fueled anger at Hamas among residents.
"When the hunger worsened, my children were crying not only from pain but also from watching our Hamas-affiliated neighbors receive food parcels and sacks of flour," Nisreen Khaled, a single mother in Gaza, was quoted as saying. "Are they not the reason for our suffering? Why didn’t they secure food, water, and medicine before launching their October 7 adventure?"
Hamas employees were also said to be angry at the leadership over the inadequacy of wages amid rampant wartime inflation. In addition, one person told the BBC that most of the cash he did receive was useless, as the bills were old and worn out.
[IsraelTimes] Mike Huckabee says number of sites to rise from 4 to 16; US Secretary of State Rubio says humanitarian crisis must not eclipse plight of hostages
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... aid sites run by the American- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation plan to begin operating all day and night as the operation looks to "scale up."
Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella went down under the weight of the custard... US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... said the Gaza humanitarian crisis shouldn’t distract from the plight of Israeli hostages held by terror groups there, or from the need to disband Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... Both officials spoke to Fox News on Wednesday as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to stand at the forefront of international attention. The food situation has become a central concern amid the ongoing war triggered by the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Humanitarian groups continue to sound the alarm over widespread hunger in Gaza and increasing reports of deaths due to malnutrition.
The Trump administration has recently indicated it wants to be more involved in the distribution of aid, reportedly due to disappointment with how things have been handled by the GHF so far.
"The immediate plan is to scale up the number of sites up to 16 and begin to operate them as much as 24 hours a day to get more food to more people more efficiently," Huckabee said of the GHF centers.
GHF sites currently only operate a few hours each day. The issue of Paleostinians attempting to reach sites before opening hours was apparently a factor in repeated deadly incidents in the first several weeks of the GHF’s rollout in which Israeli troops were accused of firing at aid seekers showing up at the wrong time.
Despite criticism of the GHF’s operations, Huckabee called the mission "phenomenal," saying it has delivered 106 million meals thus far "into the hands of the people... who really do need food" while keeping it away from "looters and thieves."
The ambassador earlier told Bloomberg News that there was a push to quickly add 12 aid sites to the four currently operated by the GHF, but noted that the plan depended on funding and IDF operations in northern Gaza. The GHF only operates in areas where troops have taken control, outside of Paleostinian population centers.
The GHF has long spoken of expanding operations, but has seemingly struggled thus far to keep even the four existing sites open simultaneously.
Rubio, in his own interview with Fox, said the need to release the remaining hostages and dismantle Hamas should not be overshadowed by the broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"There’s a lot of attention being paid to the humanitarian [issue], and we want to do everything we can to be helpful on the humanitarian problem," Rubio said. "But not enough attention [is] being paid to the fact that 20 people [who] had nothing to do with this are being held hostage in tunnels on the verge of death, and no real talk about how Hamas needs to be disarmed and disbanded."
Though 50 hostages remain held in Gaza, only 20 of them are believed to still be alive.
Rubio said the three issues are interrelated and that the Trump administration is committed to addressing each of them.
"Ultimately, Hamas cannot continue to exist. Even the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... says it," Rubio continued, referring to components of last month’s New York Declaration, which was part of La Belle France’s initiative tied to Gay Paree’s plan to recognize a Paleostinian state — which Rubio came out vehemently against.
"As long as Hamas exists as an gang in Gaza, there will not be peace, there will not be a peaceful future — because it’s going to happen again. And this can never happen again," Rubio said.
A European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... official told Rooters on Thursday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be very severe, but the situation was trending in the right direction.
The official said there were some positive developments regarding fuel delivery, the reopening of some routes, and an upward trend in the number of daily trucks entering the enclave and the repair of some vital infrastructure.
However,
corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... the official added that "significant obstructive factors continue to undermine humanitarian operations and aid delivery to Gaza, notably the lack of a safe operating environment to allow the distribution of aid at scale."
The comments come after the EU’s foreign policy and humanitarian arms updated member countries late on Wednesday on the status of an agreement reached with Israel last month on boosting humanitarian access to Gaza.
Huckabee’s remarks come as Israeli leaders were set to approve a controversial plan to bring vast new areas of northern and central Gaza under IDF control over several months, pushing hundreds of thousands more Paleostinian civilians into displacement camps in the southern part of the Strip.
Expansion of GHF operations is reportedly an integral part of that plan.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the expansion will be funded by approximately $1 billion in donations from the US and other countries.
Israel has reportedly already funneled millions of dollars to the GHF, though it has yet to publicly confirm doing so, as such funding would likely be unpopular among parts of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing base that oppose allowing aid into Gaza, let alone paying for it.
Last week, Huckabee and US special envoy Steve Witkoff visited a GHF site in southern Gaza. Axios reported on Tuesday that the US wants to significantly increase its role in the distribution of aid, feeling Israel has bungled the issue to date, though the administration’s exact plan is still being crafted.
Images of starving Paleostinians, including children, have alarmed the world in recent weeks, ramping up international pressure on Israel to enable more aid into the coastal enclave.
Israel says that Hamas steals supplies from deliveries by the UN and international aid groups. A BBC report on Wednesday backed up this assertion.
The GHF, established to provide aid via an alternative that would keep goods out of Hamas’s hands, has been plagued by near-daily shooting incidents that have seen hundreds killed as they try to reach the GHF distribution centers. There have also been deaths amid other aid deliveries carried out by the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... and other aid organizations, which refuse to cooperate with the GHF, citing humanitarian and ethical concerns with its methods. On Wednesday, 20 people were reportedly killed and dozens were maimed when a food truck overturned.
The United Nations says more than 1,300 people have been killed trying to obtain aid supplies in the enclave since the GHF began operating in May, most of them shot by Israeli forces operating near the sites.
The IDF has acknowledged firing "warning shots" at crowds that get too close to its soldiers, but called the UN tallies exaggerated, though it hasn’t provided alternate numbers.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas led 5,600 Lions of Islam to invade Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 as hostages to Gaza, where 50 remain, only 20 of them believed still alive.
[Rudaw] The United States is reviewing Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) following instructions from President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... , a State Department official told Rudaw on Thursday.
"As instructed by President Trump, the State Department is [currently] reviewing Syria's SST designation," the official said. They added that "several steps would need to be taken by both the Department [of State] and the President should the decision be made to remove the SST designation."
The official also highlighted the complex legal framework involved in rescinding Syria’s SST status, noting that "U.S. law establishes specific statutory criteria for rescinding an SST designation.
"Any action related to Syria’s status on the SST list would be based on the law and the criteria established by Congress," the official concluded.
Syria’s designation as an SST has been in effect since 1979. The status was initially based on the regime of toppled Syrian dictator Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... ’s support to groups like the Iran-aligned Lebanese Hezbollah movement, as well as its permissive stance toward other organizations labeled Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) by the US State Department.
The SST designation imposes significant sanctions, including bans on defense exports and foreign assistance. Removing Syria from the list would lift the sanctions specifically tied to this status.
[NAHARNET] The Lebanese government on Thursday endorsed the ''objectives'' of the U.S. paper presented by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, despite a walkout by the ministers of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
The implementation timetable will depend on a Lebanese Army plan that is supposed to be submitted to Cabinet before the end of this month.
Below are the objectives as announced by the Presidency and the Premiership:
- Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... 's implementation of the National Accord Document, known as the Taif Agreement, the Lebanese Constitution, and Security Council resolutions, most notably Resolution 1701, and taking the necessary steps to fully extend its illusory sovereignty over all its territory, with the aim of strengthening the role of legitimate institutions, establishing the state's exclusive authority to make decisions of war and peace, and ensuring that the possession of weapons is restricted to the state alone throughout Lebanon.
- Ensuring the cessation of hostilities, including all land, air and sea violations, through systematic steps leading to a permanent, comprehensive and guaranteed solution.
- The gradual end of the armed presence of all non-state actors, including Hezbollah, throughout Lebanese territory, south and north of the Litani River, while providing support to the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces.
- The deployment of the Lebanese Army in the border areas and key internal locations, with appropriate support for the Lebanese Army and the security forces.
- Israel's withdrawal from the "Five Points" and the settlement of border and prisoner issues by diplomatic means through indirect negotiations.
- An economic conference will be held with the participation of the United States, La Belle France, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... , and other friends of Lebanon to support the Lebanese economy and rebuild it so that it can return to being a prosperous and viable country, as called for by U.S. President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... .
Posted by: Fred ||
08/09/2025 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.